Nikushimi
by The Dark Turtle
Summary: She had created him. Everything he did... she inadvertently caused it. She taught him everything, blinded by her feelings for him. Nikushimi... was her creation, so everything he did was her creation as well. He wasn't named after hatred; hatred was named after him.
Ch 1: 11 Years Ago

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, THIS is how it would have ended. Well, the entire story. Not this chapter. No, that wouldn't make any sense...

* * *

"Settle down class! Settle down!"

The room instantly quieted down- they knew not to mess with Iruka-sensei. No, not after the last time; they had learned well. Good, they all respected hi-

"Ha! I'm gonna be Hokage one day so I don't have to take orders from you or anyone, Iruka-sensei!"

Well, most of them did, anyway. Hey, thirty-four out of thirty-five was still a smashing majority so Iruka didn't let it get to him too much. The entire class groaned with the exception of everyone's favorite emo, Uchiha Sasuke. He was too busy brooding to really care, especially since it was Uzumaki Naruto talking. It was by no means a rare event; this happened almost everyday in the small classroom. It was to be expected, everyone knew it was going to happen. Bets were even made daily on exactly when Uzumaki would open his big mouth and say something that was utterly ridiculous.

Iruka just left a red mark on his forehead as he sighed in exasperation. Why did he think it would be a good idea to be an Academy teacher again? Who knows? Certainty he wasn't getting much out of it except a major headache. He opened his eyes and glanced at the perpetrator. The kid's bright blue eyes glistened with determination as his smile continued to grow and grow, a smile that could have lighted up the world- you know, if that was even humanely possible.

It was kind of ironic... just how different they were. Not that really anybody cared to notice. Iruka himself didn't even waste the energy to notice. All Naruto was to him was a class clown at the tender age of six who had no aptitude for being a ninja and the kid who also just happened to have a terrible monster tucked away inside of him- the same monster that killed his parents and left him an orphan. Why the scrawny, small boy was here in the first place was another mystery that had yet to be solved.

"BAKA!" a voice shouted out, "YOU NEED TO RESPECT YOUR ELDERS! AND AS IF YOU COULD EVER BE HOKAGE!" Oh, here it goes again; six year old kids are never good at settling down for very long. It really didn't help that Naruto seemed to stir up trouble everywhere.

The smile faltered. It usually always did. But... only for a second. No. The boy didn't like showing weakness, a trait he developed due to his... uneasy circumstances. It hurt him the most when it came from her. After it had happened so many times, Iruka noticed that he was especially down when she yelled at him. Nothing really got to him like a reprimand from Sakura. Well, no, disrespect from Sasuke was what really caused his blood to boil.

"HAHA! SHE'S RIGHT! I think Naruto made a zero on the last test! There was even multiple choice on it!" Kiba was always one of the first to pounce on the poor kid. Iruka guessed it was just his nature- alpha males gotta keep the weak ones down and Kiba's family pride themselves on being alphas. The whole class erupted into laughter following the new information about Naruto's latest masterpiece. Really, he had outdone himself this time. Again, Sasuke decided laughter showed too much emotion and decided to go with a small smirk that nobody noticed instead. Despite the fact that he didn't show it, even he found the goofballs antics amusing, if only slightly. Great. Iruka knew exactly what was going to happen. Naruto would zoom straight out of his seat and proclaim to the entire class his intentions to pound 'Dog Breath' (Naruto's affectionate nickname for Kiba) into next week, free of charge. Next, Kiba get out of his seat and announce to the room _his_ intentions of giving the 'Dope' (the classes' well-meaning nickname for Naruto) a good, long-lasting black-eye. Then, the two would tackle each other while the entire class fell into chaos and all learning would cease, at the very least, for an hour. Oh, and every time [insert ANY name of ANY kid Naruto faced off against] would win and leave the miserable wretch on the ground, beaten without doubt. And that's EXACTLY what happened.

Were they seriously giving these brats kunai and shuriken? Something didn't add up.

Kids were cruel. That at least made sense.

"EVERYONE BACK IN YOUR SEATS BEFORE I MAKE IT SO THAT IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO DO SO!"

Nothing like a good ol' threat to save another day of learning. Iruka gave himself a mental pat on the back as he watched them pile back obediently into their seats, some questioning out-loud as to how Iruka would accomplish the feat. Others choose to remain silent- knowing deep down they didn't really want to know. When everyone got back into their seats, except Naruto- he was still out cold, Iruka cleared his throat,

" That's much better. Remember guys, we are here to learn. We are not here to do whatever the heck you guys feel like doing. Now, class, open up your books to page 45 and we'll start learning the proper way to build up Chakra!"

* * *

Ah, lunch time; the only real break Iruka had. Sure there was recess but most of that time was spent breaking up the various fights that always occurred despite all the warnings he would dish out. Iruka breathed out a breathe he hadn't realized he was holding as he rested his head against the back of the bench. He glanced around and watched as they all ate in their groups, talking steadily to one another.

These guys were the future.

It was both an exhilarating and terrifying thought. It's hard to imagine that these kids were going to be some of the greatest ninja of tomorrow.  
Iruka left out a laugh. Some of them couldn't even throw a kunai straight. Naruto especially. While shaking his head, Iruka pondered as to why Naruto was even here. He had no skills, no motivation to really try in class, and he was considerably clumsy. And he was loud, oh so terribly loud. However, despite all of this, Iruka could tell he meant what he said. Naruto truly and foolishly believed he would one day be the Hokage of Konoha. It was amusing, sad, and a little inspiring at the same time. Mostly just amusing and sad, though.

"He's so cute! JUST LOOK AT HIM! Sasuke-kun is the best!"

Iruka turned his head to where the noise had originated from. It was Haruno Sakura, of course. She had just recently come out of her shell, or, to be more literal, she had just come out from behind her bangs. Smart girl; lots of potential. Now that she had moved past her shy phase, she was making great strides in class as she set on getting Uchiha Sasuke to notice her. Maybe not the best reason to become a ninja, but she had time to grow up. She had time to find a real reason. And when she did, Iruka had little doubt she would be an imposing figure.

"Hn," came the reply.

Iruka didn't need to turn his head to see who said _that_. Sasuke, the last Uchiha. Now, there was a prodigy. Take Naruto and completely reverse his personality and skill level and you get Uchiha Sasuke. He was the top of his class and, man, did the guy just let you know he knew it as well. Sasuke was the most promising student Iruka had seen during his time at the Academy. Admittedly, it was still just a brief time, but... still. The kid was good. A loner, maybe, but that wasn't necessarily a bad trait in a ninja. Out of all his kids, Sasuke was the only kid Iruka _knew_ would be great. How could Sasuke not? Everything he did was pretty much as perfect as it could possible get, little to no room for improvement. The only problem was that all the girls pined after him and all the boys were plain jealous of him.

Naruto most of all. It was kind of funny how Naruto went out of his way everyday to try and beat Sasuke. He always lost. It was just how things went- the way things always would go. The Dope versus the Top of the Class had an obvious outcome. A painstakingly obvious outcome. Only Naruto didn't seem to get it. Then again, he rarely seemed to get anything.

"Sakura-chan!"

Iruka inwardly chuckled, _'Speaking of_ _not getting anything_ _'_

He could hear the exasperated groan all the way over here. Not like she was trying to hide it in the first place. Again, Naruto didn't seem to fully understand what that meant.

"Can- can I sit with you?" The voice was tentative and small, a stark contrast to his regular one. Despite this, it didn't seem out of place for him. Iruka watched as Sakura looked at him with a face that read 'No. Go away.' loud and clear. She then turned her head back and focused on the salad she brough with her for lunch, stabbing a piece of lettuce before delicately placing it in her mouth and chewing silently. Naruto stood there, as if he was waiting for an answer. Ino, who was sitting next to Sakura, realized that Naruto didn't fully understand what happened and decided to lend a helping hand.

"Get lost, Uzumaki! Nobody would ever want to sit with you!"

Ouch. Kids really were cruel.

The class snickered in response; Ino got Naruto pretty good with that one.

Naruto's shy, if not somewhat hopeful, face dropped in a flash as his bangs flew down to shield his eyes from view after hearing what Ino had to say about his request. He couldn't let them see that they got to him. He couldn't let them see what they did to him. He couldn't let them see that they affected him more than he let on. He couldn't show them that they wounded him.

Like they _always did_.

Sakura didn't say anything. She just continued to eat her salad slowly without even glancing in the blonde's direction. Ino had fully conveyed what she felt, there was no need for any input from her. The message was sent; that would keep the Dobe away.

It was a little much, watching the scene unfold; Naruto silently turning around and walking away as the class openly giggled at the crushing rejection. No one made a move to go with him and no one dared, or wanted, to defend him. They just watched as he slowly left the roof top where they always had lunch. Somehow the initial humor Iruka had felt about the situation before had suddenly washed away, as if it had never existed in the first place.

This was pretty much a daily occurrence too.

* * *

Tick-tock...

Tick-tock...

Tick- RIIIING!

Iruka smiled. Another day of school over. Finally, for a while there it seemed as if the day would never end.

"All right, class is dismissed! Don't forget; you have homework! I want you all practicing with your kunai skills for at least thirty minutes today!"

The class all let out a low unanimous moan in response, with the exception of Sasuke and, strangely, Naruto.

 _'Guess recent events are still on his mind...'_ Iruka watched as the kids rushed out of the room, a blank look stuck on his face. He then turned to face the window on the other side of the classroom. He wasn't close to Naruto- heavens no. In fact, he had problems with the blonde himself. He was the Kyuubi after all; the THING that killed his parents and countless others without mercy and hesitation. He was a monster.

Right?

An uneasy feeling spread throughout Iruka. No monster he knew ever looked _that_ down, no monster could ever look so lonely. Naruto... kind of reminded him of himself. Could they all be wrong? Maybe Naruto was just a kid...

"No point thinking about it..." Iruka drawled out after a few minutes. But the feeling refused to be ignored.

* * *

Naruto trudged along, looking softly down at the ground before him. The day was glaringly similar to other days and he decided he just wanted to go home and get some sleep. The pain would go away. He would wake up and feel a little better- ready to face the world again, if only for a little while.

Naruto was so out of it that he didn't notice the approaching group of vultures. Only when one opened his mouth did Naruto realize that he would have to endure a little more before he could curl up in his bed and just sleep the day away.

"Hey, Dope! Wait up! We have something to say to you!" Naruto tensed up, his muscles automatically refused to move despite his brain commanding them to run away as fast as possible. Why couldn't they leave him alone after school? He desperately just wanted to run, to get away. Nothing good was going to come of this.

After a few seconds that seemed like hours to Naruto, they caught up. The leader then decided that now was the appropriate time to strike,

"I couldn't help but notice that you once again proclaimed your intention to become Hokage. I also couldn't help but just stand by and let you have dreams of grandeur that will, _unfortunately_ , never come to pass. I thought I would help you out and tell you that you should just give up. You can't become Hokage."

Naruto turned around to face the group and found himself staring right at Kiba's arrogant smirk and a fierce snarl from Akamaru, his loyal mutt. Shino, Shikamaru, and Choji were behind him. Shino's face was blank-or so Naruto assumed, Shikamaru kind of looked like he didn't want to be there and be there at the same time, and Choji had his arms crossed with a scowl on his face.

 _'Great.'_

"Buzz off, Dog Breath!" It was the only reply he could think of. Probably not the best idea, but Naruto always did act first and then think later.

Kiba just casually raised his eyebrow in response. He had no reason to act tough; they all knew Naruto was all bark and no bite. He couldn't beat up anybody, not even the weakest girls in their class and their ninja training had less emphasis on taijustu and more on flower picking. Which didn't make much sense when Kiba thought about it. Flower picking has nothing to do with being a ninja.

After some silence, Kiba just shrugged.

"I'm just trying to help you out. I don't get why you're being so hostile. I'm saving you the pain of heartbreak later down the road when you realize you won't amount to anything, let alone the Hokage!"

By now, the rest of the class had gathered around the five boys. listening to what was being said and hoping that a fight would soon break out. They had all heard what Kiba had said and, yet, not one jumped to the defense of Naruto. More taunts continued; everyone was getting in on it. It was a bandwagon thing, only Naruto wasn't allowed on. After a while, he couldn't take it!

"SHUT UP!"

The mutters going back and forth between everyone was abruptly stopped. They all turned to look at Naruto with widened eyes. This was... new...

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I'LL BECOME THE GREATEST HOKAGE- NO, THE GREATEST NINJA THIS WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN OR EVER WILL! WHEN THAT DAY COMES, I HOPE YOU'RE ALL THERE SO I CAN SHOVE MY HAND DOWN YOUR FREAKIN' THROATS AND FORCE YOU TO EAT YOUR OWN FREAKIN' WORDS!"

Silence. Naruto was loud, everybody knew that. You could figure that out just by looking at him. Wearing bright orange? The kid wanted to be loud and noticed. This was a whole volume, however. He looked mad too, beyond what they had seen before. Most of the time his anger would be hot, plain and simple. This anger seemed colder despite the heated words. It wasn't the words that freaked them out, although they did startle them, it was the way he was glaring at Kiba. It was frigid, colder than anything they had ever seen. Kiba was the first to say anything in response after recovering from the event,

"Ha. Ha ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shortly after, everyone was laughing, even Sasuke, although it was only a small chuckle.

"Get real! The greatest ninja ever? Dope, you can't even throw a kunai straight! Heck, you can't even _walk_ straight! That's a real laugh there! See you later, Uzumaki. Hopefully, it won't be soon!" And with that, Kiba and the rest of them all walked away, snickering and laughing as they went home to their families. They would continue to do that tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.

They'd be laughing for 6-7 more years.

* * *

 **AN: So sad. This chapter has no real relevance to the rest of the story... but it serves as a reminder of a small, sad, and lonely Naruto who couldn't do anything right. Don't worry, it keeps better.**

 **Now, this story is how Naruto ends for me. Which is why it's called _The End_. That, and probably a bunch of other reasons that will be revealed later. Suspense is always fun.**

 **Just a few warnings: I won't have any set update time and this will be NaruSaku. However, is romance the major topic of this story? NOPE. Nah. This is mostly going to be Naruto being a freakin' boss, hence this chapter. It serves as a major contrast to the future Naruto who is, quite frankly, going to be so OP it will be crazy. Yes, Naruto is going to be super strong. Sasuke will look like nothing in comparison. Sasuke _is_ nothing in comparison. To anything.**

 **Oh, don't ask me to change the pairing. I won't listen. I'm stubborn like that.**

 **Don't worry about the pairing too much. It's barely going to be in the story. It does exist, though. I'm not going to lie to you guys. That would be mean.**

 **Yeah, I know, everyone's a major jerk to Naruto ('specially Kiba). I like that though. It makes all the stuff that happens in the future that much sweeter to me. They were all horribly wrong. Okay, Hinata didn't participate in any of the taunting, but she didn't do anything to help Naruto either. She was there. I just didn't mention her.**

 **Constructive criticism welcomed, flames will be rejected. I don't want to hurt any of you, so please don't hurt me.**

 **Bye, see you next time.**


End file.
